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J.C. Bonitto and Claudia Gavillano lied and didn't help me

jp Submitted this review about Mercury Auto Transport
Review made Live: 2/14/2013 6:18:00 PM
J.C. Bonitto and Claudia Gavillano lied to me and then refused to help when one of their drivers took my car for a joy ride and damaged it.

This incident happened almost a month ago, and I waited this long to post a review because I like JC and Claudia. They are very friendly and pleasant to talk to, but after thinking a lot about what happened, I can only conclude that they were dishonest. Details follow.

JC called me and said that he had found a driver (Moises Rivera, of Unlimited Auto Transport, LLC) that could take my car, and since I was having trouble moving it, I signed with JC. A few minutes after Moises dropped the car off, I figured out that Moises had altered the Bill of Laden to hide the fact that he had damaged the car. After more digging, I realized that he had driven my car 80 miles, and in the process had damaged the right rear fender, the driver's side door, and the interior.

I called JC to explain the situation. Initially, he supported Moises, saying that sellers often lie about the condition of the vehicles they're selling. But, once I told him that I had documented evidence that Moises had altered the Bills of Laden, JC told me that I had a claim and gave me Claudia's number, who is their customer service person. I never heard from JC again, despite several emails. When things got ugly, he walked away.

Claudia, like Moises, was very friendly. But almost everything she told me was untrue. First, she sent me information about the wrong company, then she reassured me that I could contact the driver's insurance company myself, despite what I had read in another review. Eventually, I contacted Moises's insurance company (Northland Insurance), and after several phone conversations was told by the agent that I had no claim. Because the damage had occurred while the car was off the carrier, the insurance company was not liable. Later, Northland Insurance sent me a letter wherein they wrote in boldface that they did not accept third party claims- contrary to what Claudia had told me.

This exact scenario had already been reported in a review of this company; the details of the event were identical down to the name of the driver and the fact that Northland Insurance refused to accept a third party claim.

I trusted JC and Claudia and they let me down.

Please don't use Mercury Auto Transport because if something goes wrong, you're on your own.
Shipment Details
Origin State:
Colorado
Pickup:
On Time
Destination State:
Pennsylvania
Delivery:
Late
Customer Service
Honesty:
Knowlegeable:
Promptness:
Customer Service:
Review Details
Quote or Order Id:
429806-FF
Quote or Order Cost:
$900

Car Condition
  • Vehicle was dirty
  • Vehicle was damaged
Company Response
Matthew Sandomir from Mercury Auto Transport Submitted this response.
Response Date: 2/15/2013 9:12:00 AM
Hi Jp , I am very sorry you feel you were lied to , but that is just not true. We can not file a claim for you , and did everything we could to help you, and will continue to do so. Only the owner of the vehicle can file the claim. We can help you ,but can not legally do it for you the car is in your name.. We are very sorry to hear the issues you had with your transport and the carrier that was contracted. Anytime you buy a car sight unseen you should have a private inspection company check out the vehicle before purchase. That way issues like this do not occur. Everyone pointing the finger at each other. The inspection on pick-up was done with the seller and the condition of the vehicle was noted. The same was done on delivery with the buyer who signed that the car was received in the same condition as when it was picked up. When you sign the carriers bill of laden you are stating the car was received in the same condition unless otherwise noted. This is why we tell everyone make sure your happy with the car before you sign , and go over this in detail with each and every customer. No insurance company will reimburse a claim with out documentation. Sincerely , Mercury Auto Transport.